The Ruhi Institute is inspired by Baha'i principles and beliefs. Ruhi is a Persian name that means spiritual. We (the authors) have been members of the Baha'i Faith for four decades. In that time, we have had opportunities to participate in Baha'i communities in the United States as well as in several African countries. With that in mind, this look at the Ruhi Institute is an emic perspective. Background on the Baha'i Faith The prophet-founder of the Baha'i Faith, Baha'u'llah, taught that humanity, after a long and turbulent adolescence, is reaching a stage of maturity in which global unity and a just society can be established. The Faith prescribes laws of personal morality and behavior as well as social laws and principles to establish the oneness of humanity. Founded in Iran in 1863 (Taherzadeh, 1974), the Baha'i community has grown to more than five million members worldwide. Membership includes 2,100 different ethnic groups located ha more than 127,000 localities around the world (for published figures on the Baha'i Faith, consult http://www.bahai.us/bahai-statistics). The Baha'i Faith's unique system of administration is constituted by elected councils at the local, national, and international levels. Respectively, these bodies are the Universal House of Justice, National Spiritual Assembly, and Local Spiritual Assembly. Analogous to the way in which clergy functions, these bodies serve and guide the community. Service to humanity is key in all Baha'i activities and is central in the Ruhi Institute process, as discussed below. An Overview of the Ruhi Institute Process First, let us define some key terms. Rubi and Ruhi process are short-hand terms for the Ruhi Institute sequence of courses; tutor is a person who facilitates a sequence of Ruhi courses; study circle is a group of people who gather to learn about and/or deepen their understanding of the Baha'i Faith and to develop their spiritual capacity using the Ruhi course sequence; Abdu'l-Baha is the son of Baha'u'llah and is considered by Baha' is to be the perfect example of a Baha'i way of life (Taherzadeh, 1974). The Ruhi Institute sponsors several types of programs, including social and economic development projects as well as the Ruhi sequence of courses described in this article. The Ruhi courses incorporate adult education principles, particularly those relating to transformational learning. Baha' is believe civilization is ever advancing, which implies that both an individual's and society's developmental needs must be seen as interdependent. The Ruhi process is intended to develop human resources for voluntary service in community development. The development of individual attributes, such as service to humanity, trustworthiness, purity, loftiness of motive, and justice, are equally balanced with intellectual and skills development. Ruhi applies the concept of being and doing and incorporates action and as a key learning strategy. Being and doing refer to the inseparable dimensions of Baha'i life, which emphasizes that to be effective teachers, we must strive continuously to refine our inner lives (being) while simultaneously teaching and gaining experience (doing). Ruhi materials are designed to move participants progressively toward deeper levels of understanding: understanding the basic meaning of Baha'i writings; understanding their application in one's personal life; and reflection on the implications of Baha'i writings for the broader society. The three learning objectives of the Ruhi process include: providing insight into spiritual matters, imparting knowledge about the Baha'i Faith, and skill development for specific acts of service (Rubi Foundation, 2001a, p. 1). Ruhi is a participatory, learner-centered model that positions the tutor as co-learner--an individual who is encouraged to lovingly guide with humility and patience. The Ruhi process has three parts: (1) the main sequence of seven courses, (2) the study circle, and (3) the tutor. …